The invention relates to a process for manufacturing a multilayered semiconductor wafer comprising a handle wafer (5) and a layer (40) comprising silicon carbide bonded to the handle wafer (5), the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a handle wafer (5), b) providing a donor wafer (1) comprising a donor layer (2) and a remainder (3) of the donor wafer, the donor layer (2) comprising monocrystalline silicon, e) bonding the donor layer (2) of the donor wafer (1) to the handle wafer (5), and f) removing the remainder (3) of the donor wafer in order to expose the donor layer (2) which remains bonded to the handle wafer (5), the process being characterized by further steps of c) implanting carbon ions into the donor layer (2) in order to produce a layer (4) comprising implanted carbon, and d) heat-treating the donor layer (2) comprising the layer (4) comprising implanted carbon in order to form a silicon carbide donor layer (44) in at least part of the donor layer (2). The invention also relates to a multilayered semiconductor wafer comprising a handle wafer (5) and a silicon carbide donor layer (44) which is bonded to the handle wafer (5), wherein the silicon carbide donor layer (44) is free of twins and free of additional silicon carbide polytypes, as determined by X-ray diffraction.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A process for manufacturing a multilayered semiconductor wafer comprising a handle wafer and a silicon carbide donor layer bonded to the handle wafer, the process comprising the steps of: a) providing a handle wafer, b) providing a donor wafer comprising a donor layer and a remainder of the donor wafer, the donor layer comprising monocrystalline silicon, c) implanting carbon ions into the donor layer in order to produce a layer comprising implanted carbon, d) heat-treating the donor layer comprising the layer comprising implanted carbon in order to form a silicon carbide donor layer in at least part of the donor layer, e) bonding the donor layer of the donor wafer to the handle wafer, and f) removing the remainder of the donor wafer in order to expose the donor layer which remains bonded to the handle wafer.
2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the handle wafer consists of a non-monocrystalline material.
3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process comprises the following steps in the given order: a) providing a handle wafer, b) providing a donor wafer comprising a donor layer and a remainder of the donor wafer, the donor layer comprising monocrystalline silicon, c) implanting carbon ions into the donor layer in order to produce a layer comprising implanted carbon, d) heat-treating the donor wafer comprising the layer comprising implanted carbon in order to form a layer comprising silicon carbide which at least overlaps with the donor layer, the overlapping part forming the silicon carbide donor layer, the silicon carbide donor layer being covered by a superficial layer comprising monocrystalline silicon which is situated at the surface of the donor layer, e) bonding the donor layer of the donor wafer to the handle wafer, and f) removing the remainder of the donor wafer in order to expose the silicon carbide donor layer which remains bonded to the handle wafer.
4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process comprises the following steps in the given order: a) providing a handle wafer, b) providing a donor wafer comprising a donor layer and a remainder of the donor wafer, the donor layer comprising monocrystalline silicon, c) implanting carbon ions into the donor layer in order to produce a layer comprising implanted carbon, the layer comprising implanted carbon being covered by a superficial layer comprising monocrystalline silicon which is situated at the surface of the donor layer, e) bonding the donor layer of the donor wafer to the handle wafer, d) heat-treating the bonded handle wafer and donor wafer comprising the layer comprising implanted carbon in order to form a layer comprising silicon carbide which at least overlaps with the donor layer, the overlapping part forming the silicon carbide donor layer, and f) removing the remainder of the donor wafer in order to expose the silicon carbide donor layer which remains bonded to the handle wafer.
5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process comprises the following steps in the given order: a) providing a handle wafer, b) providing a donor wafer comprising a donor layer and a remainder of the donor wafer, the donor layer comprising monocrystalline silicon, c) implanting carbon ions into the donor layer in order to produce a layer comprising implanted carbon, the layer comprising implanted carbon being covered by a superficial layer comprising monocrystalline silicon which is situated at the surface of the donor layer, e) bonding the donor layer of the donor wafer to the handle wafer, f) removing at least part of the remainder of the donor wafer, the donor layer remaining bonded to the handle wafer, and d) heat-treating the bonded handle wafer and donor layer comprising the layer comprising implanted carbon in order to form a layer comprising silicon carbide which at least overlaps with the donor layer, the overlapping part forming the silicon carbide donor layer.
6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the process comprising the following steps in the given order: a) providing a handle wafer, b) providing a donor wafer comprising a donor layer and a remainder of the donor wafer, the donor layer comprising monocrystalline silicon, e) bonding the donor layer of the donor wafer to the handle wafer, f) removing the remainder of the donor wafer in order to expose the donor layer which remains bonded to the handle wafer, c) implanting carbon ions into the donor layer in order to produce a layer comprising implanted carbon, d) heat-treating the bonded handle wafer and donor layer comprising the layer comprising implanted carbon in order to form a layer comprising silicon carbide which at least overlaps with the donor layer, the overlapping part forming the silicon carbide donor layer, the silicon carbide donor layer being covered by a superficial layer comprising monocrystalline silicon which is situated at the surface of the donor layer, and g) removing at least the superficial layer comprising monocrystalline silicon in order to expose the silicon carbide donor layer.
7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the silicon carbide donor layer comprises a monocrystalline silicon carbide zone and wherein the silicon carbide donor layer is exposed in a step f) or a step g) or in an additional step at the end of the process in such a way that the monocrystalline silicon carbide zone is exposed, wherein step f) comprises removing the remainder of the donor wafer in order to expose the donor layer which remains bonded to the handle wafer, and wherein step g) comprises removing at least the superficial layer comprising monocrystalline silicon in order to expose the silicon carbide donor layer.
8. The process of claim 1 , further comprising a step h) of smoothing an exposed surface of the silicon carbide donor layer.
9. The process of claim 1 , further comprising a step i) of depositing an epitaxial layer on the surface of the silicon carbide donor layer.
10. The process of claim 1 , wherein light ions are implanted into the donor wafer in order to define a separation layer between the donor layer and the remainder of the donor wafer prior to bonding the donor wafer to the handle wafer, and wherein the remainder of the donor wafer is removed in a step f) by a heat-treatment which leads to a thermal cleaving at the predefined separation layer.
11. The process of claim 2 , wherein the handle wafer consists of a polycrystalline material.
12. The process of claim 3 , wherein at least the superficial layer of the donor wafer is removed prior to step e).
13. The process of claim 4 , wherein at least the superficial layer of the donor wafer is removed prior to step e).
14. The process of claim 4 , wherein at least the superficial layer of the donor wafer is removed prior to step e).
15. The process of claim 5 , wherein part of the remainder of the donor wafer is removed in step f) and the rest of the remainder of the donor wafer is removed in an additional step after the heat-treatment in step d) in order to expose the silicon carbide donor layer.
16. The process of claim 9 , wherein the epitaxial layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of aluminum nitride, gallium nitride, indium nitride, gallium aluminum nitride, gallium indium nitride, silicon carbide, zinc oxide, cadmium oxide and magnesium oxide.
17. The process of claim 11 , wherein the handle wafer consists of polycrystalline silicon carbide.
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August 22, 2007
October 18, 2011
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